OVFL PREVIEW: JV Warriors excited to start playing for real this weekend

The Junior Varsity Mississauga Warriors and Etobicoke Eagles kick off their 2016 season with a meeting between the two teams at Father Henry Carr Catholic High School in North Etobicoke this weekend.  With a new season, there is always a sense of renewed hope and eagerness to finally play games that count in the standings.

The Mississauga Warriors, who’s seasonal goals are developing the talent and learning how to compete with the elite teams in their league are currently trying to figure out where they stand amongst their competition and where they need to make improvements going forward.

Knowing how hard his team has prepared for the start of the season, Head Coach of the junior varsity Warriors Mike Parsons believes his team is just excited to finally get the real season underway at this point.  “I think they are tired of practicing and I think they are ready to play.  On Saturday, I believe some of them are going to be in for a big surprise playing their first games at the OVFL level, But I think everyone is itching to play a real game”

With Parsons utilizing a less experienced group at this level, there is a concern that the inexperience the team possesses might show itself during the course of the season.  However, Parsons and the Warriors staff is focused on making sure that the players who have come up from the Bantam level or who have never played OVFL football beforehand are learning the right way to play the game and that they are progressing as the season goes along.

Last season, the Warriors finished the year with a 3-5 record and lost their individual matchup with the Eagles during the regular season.  Although this game will serve as extra motivation for the Warriors to get a win, Mike Parsons knows his team is in tough against one of the best offenses in the league.  “They are an unbelievably talented team, especially on offense.  We need to do our best to our best to contain them and keep them under control.  At this point, we want to keep the score respectable.”

The Etobicoke Eagles will begin 2016 with the confidence of knowing they were one of the better teams last season.  In 2015, the Eagles finished the regular season with a 5-3 record while finishing their season in the second round of the playoffs.  Looking to improve on their mark, the Eagles will get the opportunity to prove themselves by producing a strong outing in the opener to set the table for the rest of the season.  With the strong expectations this team will have for this year, the Eagles will be looking to take it one step further by he end of the OVFL season.

Although starting the season in unfamiliar surroundings is always a tough task, Parsons has prepared his team so far to ignore the fact they will be playing away from home and get them to focus on the task at hand.  The focal point for the Warriors this week will be to contain the speed the Eagles’ offense possesses, and to make the most of the opportunities that are presented to them during the game.  All in all, if the Warriors can display a strong compete level, and show that what the team has learned so far is actually being utilized, then that will be classified as a successful week for Parsons’ and the Warriors.